■ “I watched John Pritchard III touch the pages that contained his writing, and the smile on his face made me cry.

■ “Peninsula College using this as part of their English curriculum next quarter.

■ “Having control over how this book would come about.

■ “Being able to tell a writer we used ALL their submissions because we can.

■ “Having contributions from as far away as an Athabaskan from Tanana, Alaska.”

Tribal Voices: Echo presents the work of 17 writers, including Parker and other members of the Indian Voices group formed years ago at Peninsula College.

Reading Thursday

Four will join together for a reading this Thursday, and they invite the public to hear their voices at 12:35 p.m. in the Little Theater on the campus at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. Admission is free, and more details can be found at www.PenCol.edu.

The aforementioned Pritchard, with his fellow Makahs Zak Greene, Paul R. Parker Jr. and Brandan McCarty, are set to offer their poems and stories from the Echo collection of words about love, anger, birds, rivers, technological devices and numerous other topics.

In the book’s introduction, Parker writes of the 17 voices: “We are hip, we are warriors, mothers, tribal managers, dancers, fishermen, artists, cooks, canoe makers, and we are all writers with something to say. I wanted us to be heard, and to echo for generations to come.”

The Echo title sounded right for another reason: It was Parker’s father’s nickname.

At the front of the book, she thanks him “for showing me what it is to give of oneself . . . for always asking me, ‘Do you want to just do it, or do you want to do it right?’”

Parker’s father, Ernie Cheeka, is gone now. But he was alive when she was awarded a grant from the Potlatch Fund, a foundation supporting Native community endeavors. The grant helped publish the book.

“I wanted modern stories told from writers all over the United States,” Parker said.

“I opened the invitation to anyone and everyone, and did not tell anyone they were not good enough to be published.

“Some had few words; others had more to say. Either way, what was said always had impact.

“This all brings me back to my grandchildren. I want this to be here for them when I am gone,” Parker added.

On Page 3 of Echo, she dedicates it all to her grandson, Cameron Nathan.